Aspiring car racer killed by boy racer

A young man died yesterday when his souped-up car was completely crushed in a high-speed smash - allegedly T-boned by a boy racer aged just 15.

Shaun FitzPatrick, 22, had signed up to participate in the controversial CannonBall Run street-legal car rally yesterday, in which 270 amateur racers circle Auckland in everything from Suzukis to Ferraris.

But at 2.50am yesterday morning, just hours before the rally was due to start, the Pakuranga man was killed by one of several cars racing through industrial Mt Wellington.

A stolen Subaru Forester ran a red light on Carbine Rd and hit FitzPatrick, who had right of way, shunting his car through an iron lamp-post and into a fence.

CannonBall Run organisers learnt of the fatality just before the event's 9am start - but made the decision to continue the rally regardless. Contestants drove down the southern motorway that morning, passing within sight of the cordoned off crash scene.

Auckland councillor George Wood said people had simply had enough of boy racers, and the city needed to find a new way of dealing with them.

Shocked CannonBall organiser Vaughan Philip said he had met FitzPatrick the day before to personally hand him his entry pack.

"Shaun was a new competitor and was very excited at the prospect of doing his first run," Philip said.

"Just a week ago he must have thought it was his lucky day when he won a $60, half-price deal to take part.

"Because his forms arrived so late I agreed to meet him in Auckland and we spent a few minutes just talking about cars. He was a nice lad who was looking forward to having fun at his debut CannonBall Run."

Philip said he only found out shortly before the event's 9am start that one of his competitors may have been involved in a serious incident, but he made a snap decision to carry on with the event.

"Because we had so little information at that point we just had to keep moving on with what was pre-planned," he said. "Between competitors, organisers and spectators there was about 700 people involved and I'd rather not have an angry mob on my case.

"The car community will be shocked that he has died.

"It's a tragedy and my heart goes out to Shaun's family."

That family gathered at father Kevin FitzPatrick's Howick home yesterday.

"I'm not doing too good," said the ashen-faced father.

FitzPatrick went to school at Howick College and studied at AUT University before getting a job at Slingshot.